The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Many configurations of hanger devices have been developed for mounting and orienting an isolator, used to support an exhaust component of a motor vehicle while isolating the vehicle body from vibrations of the exhaust component and vice versa. Traditionally, single hole isolators were mounted to a sufficiently stiff and rigid portion of the vehicle body through the use of a hanger, as shown in FIG. 1. Typically, such isolators include an isolator support bracket that is bolted or welded to the vehicle body. A rubber isolator element is mounted in the isolator support bracket to dampen vibrations. A separate hanger, typically welded to the exhaust component, has a distal end that is received in a hole in the rubber isolator element. The length of the hanger has to be sufficiently long to provide space for the rubber isolator element to be far enough from the exhaust component so that the rubber isolator element is not damaged by heat from the exhaust component. This mounting configuration has the drawback of requiring the vehicle manufacturer to design a mounting point on the vehicle body that provides sufficient area, strength, and stiffness to accommodate the required mounting bracket and mounting bolt(s). This has proven to be challenging with some vehicles. One hole isolators can also be difficult to install during assembly of the vehicle because the rubber isolator element can move relative to the isolator support bracket during installation before the isolator is bolted or welded into place.
Other well-known forms of isolators, such as the isolator shown in FIG. 2A, require multiple hangers. Each isolator shown in FIG. 2A requires two independent hangers, one fixedly secured (e.g., by welding) to the exhaust structure and the other fixedly secured (e.g., by welding) to a body portion of the vehicle. The system of FIG. 2A thus requires a total of four independent hangers for its use. FIG. 2B shows another known hanger configuration, where a pair of hangers and a corresponding pair of brackets are required to achieve the needed degree of modal stiffness and strength to support the exhaust component.
Conventional two hole isolators lack travel control and durability compared to single hole isolator designs. Three and four hole isolator designs require multiple inefficient heavy hangers, along with the time and labor required to install the required hangers on the vehicle body itself. Three and four hole isolator designs also typically provide less than optimal durability compared to bolt-to-body designs (i.e., as shown in FIG. 1). In addition, the need for providing two or more holes in the isolator can reduce its strength and durability.
To address these problems, Tenneco Automotive Operating Company, Inc. developed the isolators described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/678,377, filed on Apr. 3, 2015, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/481,765, filed on Apr. 7, 2017. The isolator mount disclosed herein improves upon those designs. Accordingly, the entire disclosures of the applications listed above are incorporated herein by reference.